Foundation garment



Oct. 13, 1942. E` D. KATTERMANN vra-rAl. 2,298,737,

FOUNDATION GARMENT Filed March y2'?, 1940 l- IIJ.. 4,

(Ittorneg Patented Oct. 13, 1942 FOUNDATION GARMENT Emil D. Kattermann,

of New Jersey Dover, and Edwin P. Scriggins, East Orange,A N. J assignors to Swiss Knitting Company, Dover, N. J., a corporation Application March 27, 1940, Serial No. 326,130

3 Claims.

Our present invention relates to girdles, corsets or other foundation garments.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a garment of the class referred to having means to reduce the strain on hosiery, thereby to eliminate or substantially reduce the occurrence of runs therein due to excess tension as, for example, when the wearer bends her knees.

Another object of the invention is to provide a girdle with means tending to hold the bottom of the girdle in place and more particularly to prevent upward creep of the girdle or rolling of the lower edge thereof.

The present invention, besides being advantageous generally in connection with garments of the above mentioned class, regardless of the material of the garment, has an additional advantage in reference to garments composed wholly or partly of net material, as the present invention eliminates tearing of the net material by the pull thereon of the garter attaching portions.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be fully understood from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, reference being had to the accompanying illustrative drawing.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a girdle embodying the present invention, the lower front portion of the girdle being displaced somewhat to show the lower rear part of the girdle;

Fig. 2 is a View of a portion of the rear part of the girdle;

Fig. 3 is a View on a larger scale of a part of the lower edge portion of the girdle when under tension by the pull of the garter attaching part;

Fig. 4 is a detail view illustrating the securement of the garter attaching part to the lower edge of the girdle.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, the invention is illustrated as applied to a foundation garment such as a girdle It] having a body encircling and confining or compressing portion I2, including front and rear panels I4 and I 6, respectively, and side panels i3 formed as here shown of elastic net fabric. At the waist of the girdle bands 2l) of elastic knit material are stitched to the side edges of panels M and I6 and are secured, preferably by looping, to the upper edges of the net fabric of panels i8. The net fabric of panels I8 is preferably a two-way stretch fabric but said panels can be formed of any other fabric.

In the girdle here shown panels even inelastic in both directions.

'i4 and lil are elastic longitudinally of the wearer and inelastic circumferentially of the garment, but it will be understood that the material of these panels can be two-way stretch material or Similarly bands Ei? can be formed of various materials.

In accordance with the present invention, the girdle is provided at the lower edge thereof with a band i2 of elastic material secured to the lower edge of panels IG and I8 and to the side edge portions of front panel I-i when the latter, as here shown, extends to the bottom edge of the girdle. Garter attaching tabs 24 are stitched to band 22.

An important feature of the present invention resides in the provision of band 22 possessing the characteristics which will now be described. Said band comprises upper and lower strips or tapes 26 and 28, respectively, of elastic braid and an intermediate portion 3B of elastic lace-netting. Strips 26 and 28 are elastic longitudinally thereof, that is in a direction circumferentially of the garment, but are preferably inelastic transversely thereof, that is in a direction longitudinally of the garment. Lace net portion 30 of band 22 is composed of elastic mesh and is elastic in all directions, its elasticity being preferably non-directional. The lace net portion 3Q of band 22 has a substantially easier stretch than the material of the body portion of the girdle. In other Words, while the material in the body portion of girdle may be elastic longitudinally of the wearer as well as circumferentially of the wearer, portion 36 of band 22 is more easily stretchable and stretches to a considerable extent as illustrated in Fig. 3 under ordinary pull by the garter tab when hosiery is attached thereto.

As illustrated in Fig. l, the meshes of the lace net portion 3E) of band 22 lie close to each other when no Vpull is exerted on band 22 in a direction longitudinally of the girdle, that is, in an up and down direction, but as illustrated in Fig. 3, a comparatively light pull or tension by the vgarter attaching tab 24 on band 22 exerted for example when the wearer bends her knees results in the opening of the meshes of the lace net part 30 of said band. It will be understood that band 22 possesses sufficient resistance to stretch to hold the stockings up on the wearer but that when the tension is somewhat excessive, as for example when the wearer bends her knees, this easier stretch of lace net portion 3!) relieves the strain on hosiery, and thereby reduces or eliminates runs in the stockings supported by the garters attached to the girdle. It will be understood that lace net portion 39 is connected to upper and lower elastic tapes 26 and 28 of band 22 in any suitable way, preferably by looped adjacent meshes of lace net 30 around the threads at the adjacent edges of said tapes. Band 22 is secured to panels I6 and I8 by looping preferably in the manner disclosed in United States Patent No. 2,122,526, although said band can be attached in any other suitable way as by zig-zag or other elastic stitching whereby tape 26 of said band can stretch circumferentially together with the panels to which they are attached when the latter are circumferentially elastic.

It will be understood that tension applied to the garter attaching tabs 211 is distributed through a substantial length of the lace netting 30 and is thereby distributed through a substantial length of netting I8 and is not concentrated at one point. This eliminates tearing of the fabric netting I8 when the body portion of the girdle includes such material. As illustrated in Fig. 4, the garter attaching tabs 24 are composed of strips of rib-knit fabric whereby said tabs can stretch with tape 28. Said tapes 24 are secured to tape 28 preferably by elastic stitching 32, 34 to permit the knit fabric of said tabs to stretch in a direction longitudinally of band 22. It will be understood that tabs 24 are preferably inextensible in a direction transversely of band 22.

Thus it is seen that the girdle herein shown and described is well adapted to accomplish the several objects of the invention, particularly in reference to the easing of the tension on the hosiery supported by the garters attached to the girdle, as well as the reduction of tension on the net fabric when the latter is used in the girdle as in the panels I8 or otherwise. Band 22 besides providing these advantages tends to hold the lower edges of the girdle in place, due probably to the friction derived from the elastic lace net 3U and of the elastic braid strips 26 and 28. Also, band 22 is of ornamental appearance and thus is decorative as well as useful. It will be understood that band 22 can extend completely around the girdle or can be disposed in relatively short lengths as needed.

While we have shown and described the preferred form of the invention, the latter may be embodied otherwise than as herein specifically illustrated or described and band 22 or lengths thereof can be attached to various types of girdles or other foundation garments. Also, in the form of the invention herein described, certain changes in the details of construction may be made and likewise band 22 can be varied in construction. Therefore, we do not wish to be limited to the invention as shown or described herein except as may be required by the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A girdle or other foundation garment comprising a body confining or compressing portion, means carried by the girdle for supporting the wearers stockings, and elastic fabric means secured to said body compression portion of the girdle between said stocking-supporting means and said body compressing portion, said elastic fabric means being substantially more elastic and easier to stretch than said body confining portion and capable of stretching readily in response to the pull of the stockings on said supporting means thereby to relieve excessive tension on said stockings, said elastic fabric means including a band of elastic net which extends in the circumferential direction of said body compression portion and which is readily stretchable in a direction circumferentially of the girdle and also in a direction longitudinally of the girdle and elastic tapes secured to the upper and lower edges, respectively, of said net, one of said tapes being secured to said body-compressing portion of the girdle, said stocking-supporting means being secured to the other of said elastic tapes, said tapes extending in the circumferential direction of said body compression portion of the girdle.

2. A girdle or other foundation garment comprising a body confining or compressing portion, means carried by the girdle for supporting the wearers stockings, and elastic fabric means secured to said body compression portion of the girdle between said stocking-supporting means and said body .compressing portion, said elastic fabric means being substantially more elastic and easier to stretch than said body confining portion and capable of stretching readily in response to the pull of the stockings on said supporting means thereby to relieve excessive tension on said stockings, said elastic fabric means including a band of elastic net which extends in the circumferential direction of said body compression portion and which is readily stretchable in a direction circumferentially of the girdle and also in a direction longitudinally of the girdle, the upper edge of said band being secured to the lower portion of said body compressing portion, and said stocking-supporting means being secured to the lower portion of said band.

3. A girdle or other foundation garment comprising a body confining or compressing portion and an elastic band disposed at the lower edge portion of said body compressing portion, said elastic lband extending in the circumferential direction of said body-compressing portion and comprising spaced upper and lower strips of elastic braid and an intermediate length of elastic lace-net secured to and between said strips and extending longitudinally thereof, said upper strip being secured to the lower edge of said body portion, said elastic net being substantially more elastic and easier to stretch than said body coniining portion and possessing an easy-stretch characteristic whereby it is capable of stretching readily in response to tension exerted thereon, and stocking supporting means attached to said lower strip.

EMIL D. KATTERMANN.

EDWIN P. SCRIGGINS. 

